The Veil On Political Donations Must Be Lifted - Greens
The Green Party has called for the secrecy surrounding donations to political parties to be lifted. The Northern Ireland Office has launched a consultation on the confidentiality provisions which are due to expire in March 2011.
Green Party spokesperson Steven Agnew, who has campaigned for a ban on business donations to political parties, stated;
“The veil on political donations must be lifted. Trust in politics is at an all time low and any move towards greater transparency will be welcomed by a wary public. It is my view that security fears have been used as an excuse to hide activity that some political parties would like to keep out of the public eye. Lets open up the books and let the public see where parties get their funding from.”
In the rest of the UK all donations to political parties over a certain amount are made public but there have been special provisions in Northern Ireland due to historical fears over intimidation of political donors. The proposal to publish donations in Northern Ireland is seen by many as another step towards normal politics.
Mr Agnew continued;
“The Green Party is the only political party that refuses donations from businesses and other corporate bodies. Unfortunately these donations can be used to buy influence, resulting in decisions being made that are not to the benefit of the community.”